Evans Cherry
Prunus ‘Evans’

When it comes to plants for the yards and gardens of us northerners, the majority of the much-ballyhooed plant discoveries that barrage us each spring are unfortunately are nothing more than unwarranted hyperbole from shrewd marketers seeking to capitalize on our endless thirst for more and better plants. Some, though, actually live up to their acclaim, while a select few eventually become classics. But only the smallest handful could ever lay claim to the title of “amazing discovery” - and these are the ones we really enjoy talking about at Northscaping!

If you were to be compiling a list of the top 5 northern plant achievements of all time, you might want to consider adding Evans cherry to your list. This one amazing discovery has taken the adage that “you can’t grow cherries in the North” and turned it on its head. Now almost every northern gardener can not only grow cherries in their yard, but an abundance of cherries of both a quality and quantity that the commercial growers in Michigan, British Columbia and Washington can only imagine! Don’t believe us? We’ve seen 50 or more pounds of cherries, that’s five 5-gallon pails, come off one small five year old tree. And these trees are compact!

From a landscaping sense, Evans cherry features beautiful white flowers in spring, the fruits are very showy, and the trees are quite compact in habit. But let’s be honest - this plant stands apart because of its fruit. Evans cherry is a phenomenal producer of large bright red cherries, juicy as you can imagine, with small pits. The tree is self-pollinating, so a second variety is not required for fruit production.

The fruits are technically known as sour or tart cherries, which differentiates them from the sweet cherries that come available for fresh eating each summer. But this is a bit of a misnomer, because if left on the tree long enough, the fruits develop their sugars and become wonderfully delicious to snack right off the tree! And more importantly, the sweet cherries are of very limited use - it’s the tart cherries that make all the jams, jellies, sauces, pies, cakes, wines and jubilees that decadently complete our northern dinners! And Evans is the winner here, hands down!

Evans cherry is a rather versatile plant to grow in the yard; it is relatively compact as trees go, maturing in the range of 10-15’ tall. It does best in heavier soils, but will tolerate a wide range of conditions. It is a Canadian introduction, having been found growing in the back yard of an Edmonton, Alberta, home for decades by the renowned plant developer Dr. Ieuan Evans (for whom it is named), and is offered in the United States under the name “Bali Evans”. It is well worth seeking out, and will turn your yard into a veritable “edible landscape”!

Click here to read more details on this plant in the Landscape Plant Search resource.